Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony A9
92 Imaging
42 Features
48 Overall
44
65 Imaging
72 Features
93 Overall
80
Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony A9 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
- 198g - 105 x 59 x 28mm
- Revealed January 2013
- Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-TZ40
- Superseded the Panasonic ZS25
- New Model is Panasonic ZS35
(Full Review)
- 24MP - Full frame Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 51200 (Raise to 204800)
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
- 3840 x 2160 video
- Sony E Mount
- 673g - 127 x 96 x 63mm
- Announced April 2017
- Newer Model is Sony A9 II
Photography Glossary Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony A9 Overview
Its time to take a deeper look at the Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony A9, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There is a considerable difference among the sensor resolutions of the ZS30 (18MP) and A9 (24MP) and the ZS30 (1/2.3") and A9 (Full frame) enjoy different sensor sizing.
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoThe ZS30 was manufactured 5 years earlier than the A9 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS30 being a Compact camera and the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.
Before going through a detailed comparison, below is a simple summary of how the ZS30 matches up vs the A9 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
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Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 & Sony Alpha A9. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic ZS30 Gallery & Sony A9 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS30 over the Sony A9
| ZS30 | A9 |
|---|
Reasons to pick Sony A9 over the Panasonic ZS30
| A9 | ZS30 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Announced | April 2017 |  | January 2013 | More modern by 52 months |
| Focus manually |  | More accurate focusing | ||
| Screen type | Tilting |  | Fixed | Tilting screen |
| Screen resolution | 1440k |  | 920k | Clearer screen (+520k dot) |
Common features in the Panasonic ZS30 and Sony A9
| ZS30 | A9 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen dimension | 3" |  | 3" | Identical screen measurement |
| Selfie screen |  | Neither offers selfie screen | ||
| Touch friendly screen |  | Quickly navigate |
Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony A9 Physical Comparison
When you are intending to carry around your camera, you're going to have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Panasonic ZS30 offers outside measurements of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 198 grams (0.44 lbs) and the Sony A9 has proportions of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") and a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs).
Contrast the Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony A9 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the ZS30 and the A9.
Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the ZS30 and A9 is 92 and 65 respectively.
Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony A9 Sensor Comparison
In many cases, it's hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizes only by going through a spec sheet. The pic underneath may give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the ZS30 and A9.
Clearly, each of these cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The ZS30 due to its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF harder and the Sony A9 will produce extra detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more aged ZS30 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.
Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony A9 Screen and ViewFinder
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Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony A9 Specifications
| Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 | Sony Alpha A9 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Make | Panasonic | Sony |
| Model | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 | Sony Alpha A9 |
| Other name | Lumix DMC-TZ40 | - |
| Category | Small Sensor Superzoom | Pro Mirrorless |
| Revealed | 2013-01-07 | 2017-04-19 |
| Physical type | Compact | SLR-style mirrorless |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor Chip | - | BIONZ X |
| Sensor type | CMOS | BSI-CMOS |
| Sensor size | 1/2.3" | Full frame |
| Sensor measurements | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 35.6 x 23.8mm |
| Sensor area | 28.1mm² | 847.3mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 18MP | 24MP |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Maximum resolution | 4896 x 3672 | 6000 x 4000 |
| Maximum native ISO | 6400 | 51200 |
| Maximum boosted ISO | - | 204800 |
| Lowest native ISO | 100 | 100 |
| RAW support | ||
| Lowest boosted ISO | - | 50 |
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focus | ||
| Touch focus | ||
| Continuous autofocus | ||
| Autofocus single | ||
| Autofocus tracking | ||
| Selective autofocus | ||
| Autofocus center weighted | ||
| Autofocus multi area | ||
| Autofocus live view | ||
| Face detect autofocus | ||
| Contract detect autofocus | ||
| Phase detect autofocus | ||
| Number of focus points | 23 | 693 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount | fixed lens | Sony E |
| Lens focal range | 24-480mm (20.0x) | - |
| Maximal aperture | f/3.3-6.4 | - |
| Macro focus range | 3cm | - |
| Total lenses | - | 121 |
| Crop factor | 5.8 | 1 |
| Screen | ||
| Type of display | Fixed Type | Tilting |
| Display sizing | 3" | 3" |
| Resolution of display | 920 thousand dots | 1,440 thousand dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch friendly | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | None | Electronic |
| Viewfinder resolution | - | 3,686 thousand dots |
| Viewfinder coverage | - | 100% |
| Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.78x |
| Features | ||
| Slowest shutter speed | 15 seconds | 30 seconds |
| Maximum shutter speed | 1/1200 seconds | 1/8000 seconds |
| Maximum quiet shutter speed | - | 1/32000 seconds |
| Continuous shooting rate | 10.0fps | 20.0fps |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manual mode | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Custom white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash range | 6.40 m | no built-in flash |
| Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro | Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync |
| External flash | ||
| AE bracketing | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment metering | ||
| Average metering | ||
| Spot metering | ||
| Partial metering | ||
| AF area metering | ||
| Center weighted metering | ||
| Video features | ||
| Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (220 fps) | - |
| Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | 3840x2160 |
| Video format | MPEG-4, AVCHD | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
| Microphone port | ||
| Headphone port | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Built-In | Built-In |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | BuiltIn | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environment sealing | ||
| Water proof | ||
| Dust proof | ||
| Shock proof | ||
| Crush proof | ||
| Freeze proof | ||
| Weight | 198 grams (0.44 pounds) | 673 grams (1.48 pounds) |
| Dimensions | 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") | 127 x 96 x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around score | not tested | 92 |
| DXO Color Depth score | not tested | 24.9 |
| DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | 13.3 |
| DXO Low light score | not tested | 3517 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 260 photos | 650 photos |
| Battery type | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery model | - | NP-FZ100 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous) |
| Time lapse recording | ||
| Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal | Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible) |
| Card slots | 1 | Two |
| Retail price | $250 | $4,498 |